Pandemics will collapse the global food supply, killing billions
Anjali Gopal, et al, 2023 – Research Scientist at MIT, where her work spans technical and policy research at the intersection of biosecurity, pandemic preparedness, and emerging technology. “Securing Civilisation Against Catastrophic Pandemics” October, https://dam.gcsp.ch/files/doc/securing-civilisation-against-catastrophic-pandemics-gp-31 //DH
The magnitude of a risk is the product of severity and likelihood. A global collapse of modern civilisation would constitute the greatest disaster in human history. In addition to the direct casualties from Wildfire or Stealth pathogens, the loss of the essential workers who currently generate and distribute industrially produced fertiliser – to name just one essential process – would cause 3 billion people to starve.20 Unlike comparably severe natural disasters such as major asteroid impacts and supervolcanic eruptions,21 the likelihood of a civilisation-threatening pandemic is non-trivial and growing as access to advanced biotechnology increases.